Lawmakers signed final legislation that will allow the UK to formally exit the EU

UK lawmakers have signed off on legislation that will allow the UK to formally exit the European Union.

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The House of Lords has passed legislation without ammendments that it had previously added to the law.

The lower house, the House of Commons, had erased the changes made by legislators in the House of Lords. It has been 262 days since Britain shocked the world by voting to exit the EU.

The EU has said that it will respond to Britain’s formal notice to leave within 48 hours, Sputnik reported.

The next step for the legislation is royal assent. From there, Prime Minister Theresa May is free to trigger the UK’s divorce from one of the world’s largest economic unions.

The final break could happen in the final week of March.

From there, May would begin a two-year negotiation period, as stipulated in Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty.

One hurdle that has been placed in May’s path comes from Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who is calling for another independence referendum in 2018 or early 2019 depending on how the terms of Brexit play out.